Nicodemus and Mr N
Mr. Nakamura has never sugar-coated the fact that he is an atheist. From the first email he sent me 14 months ago, to an outburst about "sin" last week (that started with the words "You Christians..."), Mr N has never claimed to be anything other than an atheist.
Now an "atheist" here in Japan simply means someone who doesn't believe in God, or in any gods, or in anything spiritual. Often what passes for an atheist in some countries is, in reality, a God-hater, whose agenda is to mock, ridicule and undermine the beliefs of non-atheists (usually Christians for some reason. I've noticed that few atheists mock Islam or Buddhism with the same vehemency that they reserve for Christianity or Judaism).
Mr N, on the other hand, has consistently professed a simple, but complete lack of knowledge regarding Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism or any other religion.
The first time we met, Mr N said to me - "I am 73 years old. I ran my own accounting business and I've taught in school, both accounting and diving. I am not happy with how I've lived my life. I have never been religious. I want to do something meaningful and worthwhile. I hope maybe to find this in Christianity, if it's not too late for me."
Hiro, since returning to Japan, has noticed that his father reads the Bible every single day! Often for hours. One time Mr N commented to Hiro "sometimes I feel like I can almost believe"!
Fast forward. After 14 months of books, lessons, church services, and videos, last night we find ourselves at a Wednesday night Bible study on the Gospel Of John. We were going through John chapter 3, one verse at a time. Mr N audible chuckling with Nicodemus as he exclaims "How can this be?"
So as I'm explaining the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything else, I pause and say "Now you might be thinking, "Pastor, how in the world would YOU know? You've never been to heaven!"
At that point Mr N throws his head back and laughs out loud!
Without missing a beat, I look him in the eye and said - "and that's precisely why Jesus said: "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man."
(To be continued...)
To read more of Mr N's adventures, just click on each of these:
Now an "atheist" here in Japan simply means someone who doesn't believe in God, or in any gods, or in anything spiritual. Often what passes for an atheist in some countries is, in reality, a God-hater, whose agenda is to mock, ridicule and undermine the beliefs of non-atheists (usually Christians for some reason. I've noticed that few atheists mock Islam or Buddhism with the same vehemency that they reserve for Christianity or Judaism).
Mr N, on the other hand, has consistently professed a simple, but complete lack of knowledge regarding Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism or any other religion.
The first time we met, Mr N said to me - "I am 73 years old. I ran my own accounting business and I've taught in school, both accounting and diving. I am not happy with how I've lived my life. I have never been religious. I want to do something meaningful and worthwhile. I hope maybe to find this in Christianity, if it's not too late for me."
Hiro, since returning to Japan, has noticed that his father reads the Bible every single day! Often for hours. One time Mr N commented to Hiro "sometimes I feel like I can almost believe"!
Fast forward. After 14 months of books, lessons, church services, and videos, last night we find ourselves at a Wednesday night Bible study on the Gospel Of John. We were going through John chapter 3, one verse at a time. Mr N audible chuckling with Nicodemus as he exclaims "How can this be?"
So as I'm explaining the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything else, I pause and say "Now you might be thinking, "Pastor, how in the world would YOU know? You've never been to heaven!"
At that point Mr N throws his head back and laughs out loud!
Without missing a beat, I look him in the eye and said - "and that's precisely why Jesus said: "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man."
Mr N looked stunned.
(To be continued...)
To read more of Mr N's adventures, just click on each of these:
- Our God never sleeps
- Mr N and the Prime Minister
- Sushi with Nakamura san
- Our first service
- The enigmatic Mr N
- Mr N says "meh"
- His plans, His ways are higher
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